The SEC states Wise, who was a certified public accountant, had two employees who worked at his direction. Wise convinced many of his clients, along with their friends and family, to invest money with him in order to profit on real estate investments.

Weldon urges chamber crowd to get out of the box

By Curtis Riggs | April 8, 2009

Deciding not to participate in the recession
CAVE CREEK – Motivational speaker Joel Weldon told a full house at Harold’s at the monthly Carefree/Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce breakfast that surviving this economic recession is as simple as deciding to not participate in it.

“You have to get out of the box and see things entirely differently,” he said while perched atop a wooden box he brought with him to Harold’s to help illustrate his point. “If you decided to not participate in the recession you would get out of the box.”

Ti Amo, Baci, Meridian restaurateur pleads guilty to fraud

By Linda Bentley | April 8, 2009

SANTA ANA, CALIF. – Reha Soylular, who used to own Ti Amo Restaurant in Cave Creek with his former wife Tara Lynn Ryan, prior to opening Baci Restaurant, with Kelly Toolis, his girlfriend, pled guilty to fraud and could be facing up to ten years in prison, a three-year period of supervised release, restitution and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain resulting from his offense, whichever is greater.

Over $1 million in recovery funds coming to two towns

By Curtis Riggs | April 8, 2009

$614,000 to Cave Creek, $588,000 to Carefree
CAREFREE/CAVE CREEK – While officials in both Desert Foothills communities have ideas about spending just over $1 million in new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds the project proposed by Carefree is better accepted by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG).

Carefree is set to receive $588,000 of the new federal reinvestment money. Carefree Planning Director Gary Neiss said the project identified for the funding is resurfacing Cave Creek Road from Scopa Trail to Carefree’s eastern border.
Neiss said the roadwork should be done this summer or fall.

The resurfacing of Cave Creek Road is a project Carefree officials had decided to delay because of budget concerns until the release of the new federal money, which is being allocated to the Arizona Department of Transportation and overseen by both ADOT and MAG.

Town officials are required to prove they will use American products in the projects and require contractors to comply with the Fair Wages Act, Neiss said.

The projects must be started with 120 to 180 days to qualify for the money. This rule is what is causing problems for Cave Creek.

Town Manager Usama Abujbarah initially said Cave Creek would use its $614,000 to rework the intersection of Cave Creek Road and Carefree Highway. The new intersection would include two westbound turn lanes off northbound Cave Creek Road and two southbound turn lanes onto Cave Creek Road off of westbound Carefree Highway.

Cave Creek Town Engineer Wayne Anderson said MAG officials informed Cave Creek late Monday they did not like the project because of the difficulty in starting within six months.

“With ADOT doing the administrative work it could not start within 180 days,” Anderson said, adding the $2.2 million estimate to redo the intersection also caused concern among the MAG officials.
Anderson said Cave Creek would instead find a resurfacing project on Cave Creek Road.

Abujbarah said that although there is concern about Cave Creek’s receipt of the new recovery funds, the $2 million the town is getting to redo the sewer system through the federal Clean Water Act should be received later this month.